"Father, I am your servant, willing and desiring
to be
used to
bless your
people."

The Fields are white and the laborers are
few!C.H. Spurgeon said, "If God does not save a man by truth he certainly
will not save them by lies, and if the old gospel is not competent to work a
revival, then we will do without the revival;"

Psalms 40:1To the chief Musician, A Psalm of
David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my
cry.

Psalms 40:2He brought me up also out of an
horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established
my goings.

Psalms 40:3And he hath put a new song in my
mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in
the LORD.

Let's pray. Father,
Open my eyes so I can see Your truth.Open my ears so I can hear Your
voice.Open my mind so I can understand Your Word.And open my heart so I
may receive all that You want me to receive. AMEN

Intro: We all get
discouraged. How many of you have ever been in a pit of discouragement? -We
try to live our lives according to God's word, but many times we find ourselves
in trouble.- We fall into a pit and find that not only are we deep in a Pit
but the pit if miry clay. What do we do?

Ill. Of man walking through
graveyard and falls into a grave. Not able to get out, just about to give up
when he hears a voice say, "I couldn't
get out either." The man found new motivation to get out.Many of us fall
into Satan's miry pit of discouragement and while we are
there we lose our joy of salvation, our excitement of service, and our
determination for holiness.

ILL. I heard about a woman who owned a
little bird. The bird lived in a cage and he would sing all day long. That
little bird was always happy. He brought joy to the whole household with his
singing. One day the mother was cleaning house with a vacuum cleaner. She wanted
to do the bird a favor and vacuum the bottom of the cage. While cleaning out the
cage she dropped a vacuum attachment. So, she bent over to pick it up. When she
did, the hose went up to the top of the cage. She heard something go Phoof! And
the vacuum began to race. The bird disappeared like magic as he was sucked
inside. The woman was frantic. She turned off the vacuum cleaner and opened the
bag. She dug around in all of that dirt and dust until she found that little
bird. She gently cleaned out his mouth and wiped off his eyes. She brushed him
off and put him back on his perch. But that little bird never sang again. He
lost his song!

Have you lost your song today?-Has the devil sucked
you up in his vacuum cleaner? -Has the devil caused you to lose your
song?

- I'll tell you most of us have been down in the devil's vacuum
cleaner!-The devil's done his best to get you discouraged. -The devil's
done his best to get you to give up and quit! -He's done his best, but His
best isn't good enough!

You see, we serve a God who's greater than any
devil. He sucks us up, but we just keep coming out!

-When you come out of
the devil's vacuum cleaner... -When you come out of the devil's pit...
You've got to clean out our mouth.- You've got to wipe your eyes.-
You've got to shake yourself.- And then you've got to trust God to give you a
song again!

Psalms 137:4How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?The devil knows
that and this is why he trys to knock the life from
us!

God inhabits the PRAISE of
his PEOPLE!

I. DON'T STAY
DISCOURAGEDA. Don't let the Devil steal your song1. That little bird
never sang again2. He just got up on his little perch and stared. 3. He
was in shock.4. Some of us get shocked when bad things happen to us. -
I'm a child of God.- This is not supposed to happen to me.- I serve
God.- Go to church- Pay my tithes- Love my neighbor

5. We get
discouraged and we want to just give up. - If this is the way God takes care of me,
I give up

6. But God wants you to sing again. 7. God
puts a new song in your heart and it's up to you to sing it.

God inhabits the PRAISE of
his PEOPLE! No wonder David is said to be a man after God's own Heart! He
refused to do anything less than Praise.

8. The devil has sucked
you up in his vacuum sweeper. 9. Trouble has come. So what!Does that de-throne GOD in any way form
or fashion.Listen it was in the Midnight hour that Paul and Silas began to
Sing.B. God is Alive1. So what if trouble has come? 2. Our God is
the Living God! The ever reigning king of kings, the eternal creator of all that
is created, the balm of Giliad that never loses its healing virtues, The ever
present help in our time of need, the supplier of all good and perfect gifts,
the peace speaker in our times of storms, the flame quencher in the fire, the
lion tamer in the den, the water walker in our loneliness, the way maker when
there appears no way.

1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto
the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory
for ever and ever. Amen.

3. Look to someone and say
its time to Clean out your mouth, wipe your eyes, brush yourself off, and get
ready to sing.Now tell someone I am coming out of this
pit.

C. Because God has
Heard Our Cry1. David said, "I waited patiently for the Lord... and He heard
me. 2. God heard me and brought me up out of the pit! 3. God heard me
and brought me up out of the miry clay! 4. And he set my feet on the solid
rock. 5. God heard David, and God will hear you also!

Psalms
3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.
Selah.Psalms 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from
all my fears.Psalms 120:1 In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard
me.

6. But, I've been knocked into the pit. 7. I've had the daylights
knocked out of me! 8. God still hears you in the pit. 9. God sees you
even though you don't see Him!10. So many stay there in the pit of despair
because they give up to easy.- God
sends the help but we give up before help get there

- Be determined
to do what is right, even if we don't see immediate results

-
God
I'm going to tithe even though my finances are in turmoil

-
God
I'm going to believe for healing no matter what the doctor says- God I'm not
giving up11. You must
P.U.S.H.PRAYUNTILSOMETHINGHAPPENS

II. BIBLICAL
EXAMPLESA. ISRAEL GOT DISCOURAGED BECAUSE OF THE WAY Num. 21:4-5 4Then
they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land
of Edom; and the soul of the people became very
discouraged on the way. 5. But the people grew impatient with the long journey,
: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt
to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul
loathes this worthless bread."

1. They got discouraged and they spoke! 2. Sometimes people
get discouraged because they have the wrong kind of words coming out of their
mouths.

3. They may live "Home, home on the range..." but they have
plenty of discouraging words they have to put up with. 4. Joshua was told,
"Let not these words depart out of your mouth."4. What kind of words? 5.
Joshua was told, "Be strong and of good
courage." 6. Courage is the
opposite of discouragement. 7..What kind of words brought this courage?
8. What kind of words kept Joshua strong?

7. It was the commands, counsels, and promises of
God!10. It was God's words that were supposed to be on his lips.

- He saw the fire fall from heaven and
consume the sacrifice.- He saw the defeat of the prophets of Baal.

-
He saw a nation cry out to God- He
outran the chariots of Ahab twenty miles across the plains.

- He was
full of God's power; the hand of God was upon him.

2. But, - But when he
heard that Jezebel was after him, he got
discouraged.

3. Elijah began to run. - At first he was running with the hand of the
Lord upon him. - Next, he was
running from the hand of Jezebel with fear upon him.- He hid under a
Juniper tree and said, "Oh God, let me die." - He got
discouraged.

4. Don't
condemn yourself if you've been discouraged. - Maybe you've seen great
things like the fire falling... - Perhaps you've had some mighty victories
in your life... - Then, you got discouraged.

- Quit beating yourself
up over it. - Quit crying over it.

- Clean out your mouth, wipe your eyes, dust
yourself off, and sing!

C. DAVID GOT DISCOURAGED (1Sam.30:1-6)
1. David had an army. - They went out to fight a war. - While they
were gone, the enemy burned their town and took their wives.

- When
David's army came back, they were ready
to stone him.- The bible says, "And David was greatly distressed
because the people thought to stone him."

2. When somebody steals your
wife, it'll get you discouraged. - When somebody else wants to stone you over
it, it's even worse.

3. Nobody was there to encourage David. -
Nobody was there to say, "It's going to be alright, David. We'll get em." -
On the contrary, everybody was against
him. - But, the bible says, "David encouraged himself in the
Lord..."

4. If you don't have anyone else to encourage you, just
encourage yourself. - David encouraged himself. - David was almost ready
to give up.

- He had been anointed to be the next king over Israel. -
But, now he was discouraged.

- He encouraged himself in the Lord, and in 72 hours he was King.- He was at his darkest hour.

-
He was "GREATLY DISTRESSED" - He could have given up. - He could have
just quit!

- He could have said, "That prophet Samuel didn't know what
he was talking about. I'm not fit to be a king!"

- It was the most
discouraging moment of his life up to that point, but 72 hours
later he was sitting on the throne.

- Can you praise the Lord this morning?- If you're discouraged, you praise Him in the midst of discouragement?

III. DON'T SPEAK DISCOURAGEMENTA. ISRAEL WAS DISCOURAGED AND SPOKE
IT

1. If you are down and discouraged and dark things are about you, be
careful. 2. When you are discouraged, watch what you say.

3. Be sure
you speak the Word of God and not the
word of discouragement. 4. Notice, "they spake against."

* I mess up everything I
touch * I'm lonely * I'm ugly * I'm fat* My hair is stupid- Speak the
word of God over your life* I'm an overcomer * I am the righteousness of God
in Jesus Christ* I'm a lover * I walk in love * I'm blessed * God's
blessings chase me down* I walk in the fruits of the spirit * I have favor *
I have friendsB. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY WHEN YOU'RE MAD

1. Notice
they spake against. 2. When you get mad, when you get down, when you get
discouraged, be careful. 3. It's easy to speak against others when you're
down. - God gave us a mouth to praise Him & to give thanks

- Not
to backbite; gossip; complain and fault find- If you want to
come out of the pit you must quit the things that keep you in the
pit

4. "They spoke against Moses." 5. The preacher was the first
one they talked about. Listen.

Proverbs 18:20 A man's belly shall be
filled with the fruit of his mouth; With the increase of his lips shall he be
satisfied. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love
it shall eat the fruit thereof.

D. HOW DO MY WORDS AFFECT MEPro. 18:20 20 From the fruit
of the mouth one's stomach is satisfied; he yield of the lips brings
satisfaction.21Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who
love it will eat its fruits.

1. Be careful you may have
to eat those words2. Words fall out of our mouths; goes into our ears; and
down into our spirits3. Must do it at home as well as church4. We are
doing it to ourselves

Proverbs 12:14 14From the fruit of the mouth one is
filled with good things, and manual labor has its reward.

5. If you can
be satisfied with good fruit you can be dissatisfied with badProverbs 13:3
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips
shall have destruction.Proverbs 15:23 A man hath joy by the answer of his
mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

Proverbs 21:23
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from
troubles.CONCLUSION: If you're discouraged... If you're upset... If
you've just found yourself in the pit of despair... Clean out your mouth, wipe
your eyes, dust yourself off, and sing.